Northampton’s Royal & Derngate will present the premiere of  April de Angelis and Lucy Rivers’ ambitious new musical Gin Craze! as part of its Made in Northampton 2021 season from 17-31 July.

In a co-production with China Plate, and in partnership with English Touring Theatre, the production has been developed as part of a three-year project which has seen Royal & Derngate lead a national consortium of partners to support 150 artists in nurturing the creation of new musical theatre.

With book and lyrics by April de Angelis, and music and lyrics by Lucy Rivers, Gin Craze! is a booze-soaked love ballad from the women of Gin Lane.

Two lovers, each with hidden secrets, struggle to prosper as gin hawkers. At a time in the 18th century when the average Briton drank 1.5 litres of gin every day, women were being locked up in cells to sober up and disorder was breaking out on every street corner, panic spreads among the upper classes who look to the magistrates, the Church and even their tipsy Queen to restore sobriety.

This raucous satire takes audiences on a journey through the joyous excesses of Hogarth’s Britain in an ingenious and irreverent new musical.

The piece will be directed by Michael Oakley, with design by Hayley Grindle, musical supervision and arrangements by Tamara Saringer, choreography by Paul Isles, lighting by Jack Knowles, and sound by Tony Gayle.

The ensemble cast includes Debbie Chazen (The Girls), Rosalind Ford (Once), Aruhan Galieva (King John), Paula James (The Snow Queen), Alex Mugnaioni (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin), Peter Pearson (Welcome to the UK), Paksie Vernon (The Watsons) and Rachel Winters (A Christmas Carol).

For more information and to book tickets, please click here.